Bucks casino's slots earnings highest in state

Philadelphia Park: It leads in measure of how much cash is left after payouts.

March 26, 2009|By Matt Birkbeck Of The Morning Call

Four Pennsylvania casinos have the highest daily grossing slot machines among gaming states on the East Coast.

Philadelphia Park in Bucks County, The Meadows near Pittsburgh, Harrah's Chester near Philadelphia and the Hollywood Casino near Harrisburg are ranked one through four, respectively, with the highest daily win per unit among casinos in nine Eastern states, according to the Gaming Industry Observer.

Win per unit is how much money is left in the machine after the payouts are made.

"It's a widely watched metric in the casino industry and seen as a measure of success and how efficiently you've sized your casino floor," said Joe Weinert, editor of the New Jersey-based gaming newsletter.

The daily win numbers are higher than those at casinos in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, West Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island and Maine, according to the study. They reinforce recent state revenue statistics showing stability in Pennsylvania gaming at a time when other states are in the midst of a downturn.

But the news isn't all good. Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County continues to struggle, posting a $212 daily win per unit, the lowest in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Park has the highest at $396.

Any average daily win per unit between $250 and $325 means "you have the right number of slots on the floor," Weinert said. "If above, you need more. If you're below, chances are you have too many slots.

"[Mount Airy] didn't grow with the market. They opened big and hoped the market would follow and are now on the low side of performance."

Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, said the state's high slot numbers are "above what was projected even in these tough economic times."

"Pennsylvania's slots market has not yet reached maturity, and all indications are that casinos are returning significant tax revenues," he said.

Two more casinos will open in Pennsylvania this year -- the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in May and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh in August. The Meadows will open a permanent facility next month.

Atlantic City's Harrah's Casino, with a $290 daily win per unit, and the Borgata, with $289 daily wins, are well within the standard range. But slots at most other New Jersey casinos, including Trump Plaza, Trump Marina, Bally's and Tropicana, were languishing below $200 daily wins per unit, according to the report.